Job dissatisfaction at Department of Homeland Security raises concerns
10:03 a.m. Friday, February 9, 2007
"I'm very proud of the hard work of the men and women of the Homeland Security Department. This vital department is actively engaged in the war on terror," President Bush said in a recent trip to the Department of Homeland Security.
Employees there certainly need the pep talk.
In a recent survey of job satisfaction at 36 government agencies, Homeland Security came in last -- raising questions about whether low morale can impact national security.
"The less good people feel about their jobs, the less likely they are to be attentive and alert," said Former Inspector General of the Department Clark Kent Ervin.
Homeland Security has had a rocky four years of existence, marked by turf wars and public scrutiny. It's now being re-organized for the third time, a process it will likely go through again and again.
"The Department of Defense, I think, people often say it took 40 years to get configured properly," Chertoff said. "We all know the first Secretary of Defense committed suicide."
Homeland Security is under the microscope. While Chertoff was testifying, more legislators, in another hearing were investigating allegations of millions of dollars of waste by the department.
A spokesman for Homeland Security says when it comes to low morale, the media is to blame for its focus on FEMA, a part of Homeland Security, during Hurricane Katrina.
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